Improvement in tobacco-driers



D. B. GHAPIN.

ToBAcco-DRIER. BIL-170,469, Patented Nov. 30.1875.

jzvenor N rrEfD STATES PATENT OFFICE DWIGHT B. CHAPIN, OF COVINGTON,KENTUCKY.

IMPROVEMENT IN TOBACCO-DRIERS Specification forming part of LettersPatent No. 170,469, dated November 30, 1875; application tiled March 31,1875. y

To all whom it may concern: f

Be it known that I, DWIGHT B. CHAPIN, of Covington, in the county ofKenton and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in a Device for Drying and Casing Tobacco, of which thefollowing is a specilication:

My improvement refers, first, to an improvement in driers for dryingtobacco'and other material; and consists in providing a series ofendless carriers, arranged in a series of zigzag ues, through which acurrent of air is forced or drawn to carry off the moisture evaporated,and to speed the drying operation.

My invention relates, secondly, to casingA tobacco by means of the samedevice used in drying but a current of steam or humid air is used formoistening, instead of heated or normal air for drying, the tobaccotreated.

The various parts of this apparatus are constructed and arranged in themanner substan' tially described in the following specification.

Figure l represents a longitudinal vertical section through the centerof the drier. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation with the end of the chamberremoved.

A, B, C, and D represent the top, bottom, front, and rear walls of thechamber or drier. E E represent side walls of the same. a, b, c, and drepresent a continuous flue, or a series of zigzag iiues, formed in thechamber by means of the horizontal partitions e, f, and g, which springfrom `the side walls E, and a1- ternately fromthe front and rear walls CD, as shown in Fig. 1. I I I I represent drums revolving on axialbearings attached to the side walls E E. Any convenient form of mountingthem may be employed. Two of these drums are placed in each one of theseries of horizontal lues, as shown in Fig. l.

H H represent endless aprons passing aroundv drums I, and being revolvedwith said drums. The upper apron is passed through apertures t' t' inthe front wall, and'made to pass around a drum outside of the chamber.(This latter drum is not shown in the drawing.) When it is desirable tohave this carrier pass in at the.

angle here shown, a drum, P, is required, either inside or just outsideof the chamber, to prevent the sagging of the apron. This upper orfeeding apron can be made to enter the oven in the same manner as thatof the lower carrier or apron, in which case one of the drums may beoutside of the chamber,l and in the same plane as the drum at the rearend of the lue. The lower apron or carrier passes out at the bottom atthe front end, in the manner here shown. v L represents a spout or fluelrent may be driven over the aprons through the flues by forcing the airin the reversedirection from that indicated by the arrows; but the planshown-I deem the best.

N represents a loose pulley, and N the main .driving-pulley. The seriesof endless aprons are represented as being revolved by a belt,

(shown in dotted line's in Fig. 1,) driven by pulleys 0,1%, S, T, and V,these pulleys'being, respectively, attached to one of the drivingdrumsI, upon which the aprons revolve. Spurgearing may be used asintermediate conveyers of power, if desired. Pulleys I may be mounted onlaterally-adjustable bearings, so as to tighten or loosen the severalaprons.

The aprons may be made of duck, felt, or

i other suitable material; and slatsinay be used transversely across theaprons, to assist in carrying the material over the aprons, if desired.

Themode of operation of drying tobacco and other material is as follows:The article to be dried is placed upon the top apron outside of thechamber, and is carried by the apron into the upper flue, and passedslowly through it. As the apron passes over the drum at the rear end ofthe flue it is dumped onto the apron beneath in the next flue, and thematerial is thereby turned over, so as to present other surfaces to thecurrent of air, which is forced through the lues over the top surface ofthe aprons. .This same mode of operation is carried successively througheach of the fines, and the tobacco is `finally carriedV outof thechamber by the bottom `apronf-from whichitis removed.` A currentof airisforce'd overthe aprons, passing successively over the severalcarriersgthrough the dues, and escapes charged with moisture at the topat M. This outlet may be varied inisize and location,and one or moreescape flues, regulated by a damper, may be employed. y

The speed at :which the carriers are `revolved l should be adjusted soas to have the material thoroughly dried by passing through thecha1nberin 1thesmanner described.

Scrapers may be placed under each of th u the aprons at l 2 3, asshowu,' to prevent the material from adhering to theunder side ofthewaprons;

u When itis desired to` moisten tobacco, it is fedinto the drier in thesame manner as for drying, and, instead of forcing a current of dry orheated air through y the dues, a jet of steam ora currentofhumidiairislintroduced 1 u intothe'ues,and `thetobaccoon the apronsabsorbs the moisture from the air, and `is cased i or dampened bythisprocess.`

I claim as my inventon- Thecombiuatiominatobaccodrierofthey series vofalternating horizontal partitions e, f,

and g,thealternatingendless`traveliugaprons,` j H Ythe upperfeed-apronlpassing through `the casu u ing ofthe drierrand theloWercarrier-apron" 3 passing through bthe casing of` the dryingfchamber, theWholebeinglconstructediforfop?` eration substantially as described. i

In .testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 25tl1day ofMarch,1875,

DWIGHT B; UHAPIN. u u

Witnesses: i u

E. R. STLLWELL, y EDWARD BOYD.`

